Reversible spiral pump.



T. OOONNOR.

' REVERSIBLE SPIRAL PUMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1911.

1,056,441 Patented Max:118, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

INVENTOR WITNESSES MZMAAV W QJ W. BY J v A TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

THOMAS OCONNOR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

, REVERSIBLE SPIRAL PUMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 31, 1911.

.Patented Mar. 18, 1913.

Serial N 0. 630,422.

has for one object the construction of a pump which is reversible, thatis to say, which will operate whether the rotatable driving or operatingmember is revolved in one direction or the other.

My invention also has for its object the construction of a pump of thischaracter which shall be simple in construction as well I as efficientin operation.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be hereinafterreferred to in the detailed description thereof or will become apparenttherefrom.

One form of a convenient embodiment of my invention is illustrated inthe accoman in drawin forming a part of the Specification, but it shouldbe understood. that changes in the details of construction within thescope of the claims may be made ber in the chamber 6 for the passage ofIn the drawings: Figure 1 is a transverse without departing from myinvent-ion.

vertical sectional View of a spiral pump embodylng my lnventlon'; Fig. 21s a slmllar view with the spiral revoluble member in a differentposition; F ig.3 is avertical section taken along a line 33 of Fig. 1;and Fig. 4 I is a view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the base and pedestal and 2designates the cylindrical wall of the casing of the pump chamber. Ifdesired, the said part 2 of the casing may be made integral with thepedestal or separate therefrom and secured thereto in any convenientmanner. Practically the said casing would probably be constructedseparately from the pedestal and thereafter secured thereto or otherwisesupported in any suitable manner.

3 and at designate the sides of the casing which are secured to thesides or edges of the cylindrical wall 2 by means of screw bolts 5. Whenthe cylindrical part 2 and the sides 3' and 4 are secured together inthe manner indicated, a pump chamber 6 is formed in which the spiralmember 10 is located. The form of the said spiral member is cle rlyshown in Figs ,1 nd 2 in ic the spiral-may be said to begin at a pointsomewhat removed from the center so that a space 11 isformed which mayserve either as an effluent or an influent space, as will be hereinafterset forth. The diameter of the spiral member 10 is less than thediameter of the chamber 6 by reason of which a space 12 is providedbetween the outer periphery or perimeter of the said spiral member andthe interior surface of the cylindrical part 2 of the casing of thechamber 6. The space 12 is interrupted by means'of a block 15 which issecured to the outer end of the spiral 10, as is clearly indicated inFigs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The member 15 may be made integrally withthe spiral part 10 or separately therefrom and secured thereto by i anysuitable attaching means.

Preferably what may be termed the outer end of the interrupting block 15is blunted off as is indicated at 16.

By inspection of Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be noted that thespace 12 intermediate the peripheral outer surface of the spiral member10 and the inner surface of the part 2 of the casing is not continuousso that there is not, therefore,-a continuous passage-way entirelyaround the said memwater, air or any other fluid which'may be operatedupon by the pump. The said space 12 is also adapted to be interrupted byadditional means to be hereinafter described.

The sides or ends of the spiral spaces between the spirals of the spiralmember 10 are closed by means of the side plates and 21 which aresecured to the edges of the spiral 10 by means of screws or similarfastening means 19. The plate 20 is provided with a-journal 22' which issupported in a bearing 23 which consists of a sleeve-like flange whichprojects laterally from the central portion of the side plate 3 of thecasing.

24 designates a pipe which constitutes in eifect a continuation of theopening through the bearing 23, the said pipe being connected to thebearing 23 bycoupling or connecting means 25. The plate 21 is providedwith a driving shaft 26 which is journaled in a bearin 27 formed in thecentral portion of the side plate 4 of the casing. The said shaftextends through a stufiin box provided with stufling or packing 2 whichis held in place by means of a gland 28 secured in position and adaptedto be tightened by means of screws 29 which are secured into aflange-like portion 30 formed upon the side of the plate 4. The shaft 26in the construction shown is integral with the Plate 21 but itwill beunderstood that if desired the said plate 21 and shaft 26 may be madeseparately and thereafter secured together in any suitable manner. Theshaft 26 is driven by any suitable power and in any suitable way, thepower and the manner of driving the said shaft, however, not beingshown.

35 designates a cut off which is slidably supported upon what may betermed a guide box or frame 36 secured to the casing of the pump. Thepurpose of the cut off 35 is to open and close the space 12 in thechamber 6. The said out off extends transversely of the said space andfrom side to side there of and normally is in closed position as is.shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

38 designates a supporting rod to which the cut off 35 is connected. Thesaid rod is adapted to slide through a hole 39 formed in a plate 40which closes the outer end of the guide box 36 of the cut off. Theoutercnd of the said rod 39 is provided with a roller 41 which issituated and works in a slot 42 formed in one end of a lever 43 which ispivoted at 44 upon a support 45 which rises from a bracket 46 which isconnected to some part of the pump structure,being connected, in theconstruction shown, to the side 4 of the pump casing. The opposite endof the lever 43 is pivoted at 50 to a link or rod 51 which extendsthrough a, hole or opening 53 provided in the bracket 46. The said linkor rod at its inner end is provided with a cam roller 55 which is seatedin the groove 56 of the cam disk 57 The construction of the cam is suchthat the pivotal. movements of thelever 43 are so timed and regulated asto open and close the cut off at the proper times and intervals and holdthe same in openedand closed position for the proper periods of time.

60 designates a pipe having communication through the part 2 of thecasing with the casing chamber.

In a pump constructed in accordance with my invention, the spiralpumping member lO may be rotated in both directions, that is,-either tothe right or to the left, as is indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 of thedrawings. In Fig. 1 the arrow 61 indicates that the spiral pumpingmember 10 is rotated to the left and the said member is shown in suchposition that the block 15 has just passed under the cut off 35 the samehaving been lifted at the proper time by the mechanism' described forthat purpose and said block also just having passed beyond the inner endof the pipe 60. As the spiral member 10 rotates the cut off 35 is heldagainst the periphery thereof so that the water, air or other fluidwhich has entered through the p1pe 60'1nt0 the space 12 in the chamber 6is compressed against the right hand side of the cut off 35 and istherefore forced out wardly through the central efiiuent portion of thechamber and through the pipe 24- to such point as may be desired. Itwill be understood that as the block 15 continues to move toward theleft it tends to create a vacuum in its rear with the result that theportion of the space 12 to'the right of the said block 15 and to theleft of the cut off 35 is filled wit-h the water, air or other fluidwhich is drawn in through the pipe 60 and that such air so drawn in isforced by the continued revolution of the member 10 outwardly throughthe pipe 24. It will be understood, however, that if water is beingoperated upon and driven through the pump the source of supply mayoccupy a higher level than the pump in which case the water would flowby gravity through the pipe 60 and the pump would not be required tolift. the water by suction or otherwise into the pump chamber but theonly work done by it would be the driving of the water from the pumpchamber to such point as might be desired. In Fig. 2, as indicated bythe arrow 62 thereon, the spiral member 10 is shown as rotating in theopposite direction to that shown in Fig. 1. In the said Fig. 2 the block15 is shown in position just after it has passed underneath and beyondthe cut off 35, the latter not having yct rcsumed its position againstthe outer peripheral surface of the said spiral member 10. When rotatingin such direction the water, air, or other gas with which the pipe 24may be in communication is drawn into the pump chamber and by reason ofthe fact that the space between the right hand side of the block 15 andthe left hand side of the cut off 35 is entirely closed, the air orfluid therein is compressed between the said block 15 and the cut off 35by the rotation of the revoluble spiral member 10 and is forcedoutwardly through the pipe 60. It will thus be seen that if rotated inone direction the pipe 60 acts as an influent pine and the pipe 24 as anefiiuent pipe, whereas, if the member 10 is rotated in the oppositedirection, the pipe 24 acts as an influent pipe and the pipe 60 as aneitluent pipe.

My invention is well adapted for use either as a water pump or as an airpump and may be particularly useful for operation in connection withmine work. In such work it might be used as a means for driving water todifferent parts of the mine, or, if an accident should occur in themine, by a reversal of its operation it might be employed as an air orgas pump to withdraw foul air and gases from the mine, and it may beused also to pump water from a mine and for any similar purpose.

Having thus explained, the nature of my said invention and describedsome of the ways of making and using the same although withoutattempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or allof the modes of its use, what I claim is:

1. In a pump, the combination of the pump casing having a cylindricalchamber, a revoluble cylindrical spiral member situated concentricallyin the said casing, the diameter of the said spiral member being lessthan the diameter of the pump chamber of the casing, whereby a space isprovided between the outer spiral of the said revoluble spiral memberand the inner surface of the said chamber and the said spiral memberbeing provided with means upon the outer periphery of its outer spiralfor interrupting the said space surrounding the said revoluble member,and additional means which is adapted to open and close the said spacewhich means is adapted to be moved out of the path of travel of themeans secured to the said spiral for closing the said passage way.

2. In a pump, the combination of a pump casing having a circularportion, a spiral member revoluble in opposite directions situatedconcentrically in the chamber in the said casing, the diameter of thesaid spiral member being less than the diameter of the chamber in saidcasing, whereby a space is formed between the outer periphery of thesaid spiral member and the inner surface of the circular portion of saidcasing, means revoluble with the said spiral member for closing thespace between the said member and the said circular casing, additionalmeans for opening and closing the said space, and means for causingmovement of the said additional means to permit the said revoluble meansto pass underneath the said additional means.

3. In a reversible spiral pump, the combination of a pump casing havinga chamber, a spiral member revoluble in opposite directions in saidcasing, a driving shaft having connection with the said reversiblerevoluble member, means projecting from and revoluble with the saidreversible revoluble spiral member for closing the space bet-ween thesaid revoluble member and the said casing, means for opening and closingthe space between the said casing and the said revoluble spiral member,and a cam upon the said shaft having connection with the said openingand closing means for 0peratingithe latter.

4. In a pump, the combination of the pump casing having bearings formedin the opposite side plates thereof, a spiral driving member situatedconcentrically in the said pump chamber, the spaces between the spiralsof said spiral member being closed by opposing side plates secured tothe said spiral, and one of the said last mentioned plates having ahollow sleeve-like journal supported in a bearing in one of the sideplates of the pump casing and the other of said plates having connectionwith a driving shaft supported in the opposite side plate of the saidcasing, and the said revoluble member being of less diameter than thesaid casing and having means secured to and projecting from itsperiphery for closing the space between the said revoluble spiral memberand the said casing, a cut off for opening and closing the said space,and means operated by the said shaft for opening and closing the saidout ofl.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereuntosigned my name this 27th day of May, A. D. 1911.

THOMAS OCONNOR.

In the presence of- EDWARD J. FISHER, CARRIE E. KLEINFELDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

